Bean is a common name
applied to large seeds of several genera of family Fabaceae used for human as
well as animal consumption. The green, young pods of bean plants are often
consumed as raw or cooked. They are known as green beans when unripe. The term bean
is generally used for the broad bean but later on it was expanded to include
members belonging to the genus Phaseolus as well as Vigna. The term is now
applied to many other plants also for example soybeans, peas, lentils,
chickpeas (garbanzos), vetches, and lupins.

Beans are one of the
oldest plants known in cultivation since times immemorial. Broad beans were
earlier cultivated in Afghanistan and Himalayan foothills. Common bean is known
in cultivation for about six thousand years in America. About 4,000 cultivated
varieties are known from America alone. The common varieties of bean include
broad bean, moth bean, urad bean, mung bean, rice bean and cowpea. Some
varieties of bean especially the red and kidney beans contain a toxin that must
be destroyed before cooking.

The recommended method
adopted for these beans is to boil them for ten minutes as the undercooked
beans are more harmful than the raw ones. Fermentation is often employed in
many parts of Africa as it improves the nutritional value of beans by removing
toxins. Inexpensive fermentation improves the nutritional value of the flour of
beans and hence enhances digestibility as shown in a study carried out at Addis
Ababa University. They are a major source of protein in Kenya, Malawi,
Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

They contain
significant amounts of fiber and soluble fiber. One cup of cooked beans
provides about 9-13 grams of fiber. Soluble fiber helps to lower the
cholesterol level. They also contain high levels of protein, complex
carbohydrates, folate, and iron. Many edible beans especially the broad beans
and the soy beans contain oligosaccharides which is a type of a sugar molecule
as found in cabbage. An anti-oligosaccharide enzyme is required to digest these
sugar molecules. The human digestive system lacks any anti-oligosaccharide
enzyme these sugar molecules are particularly broken down by the bacteria
present in the large intestine.

These sugars upon
digestion produce flatulence-causing gases as a byproduct. Some species of
molds produce alpha-galactosidase, an anti-oligosaccharide enzyme which
facilitate the digestion of these oligosaccharide molecules more effectively in
the small intestine if consumed by humans. These enzymes are sold in the
markets under the trade name Beano in the United States. Beans can be cooked
with natural carminatives like anise seeds, coriander seeds and cumin. They are
also soaked in water and the vinegar is added to them. Brazil is the largest
producer of beans followed by India and China.… Read More

Growing African
American hair can be a difficult job, because this hair type is specific.
Therefore, some special treatments may be required to grow African American
hair longer. This article will look at some ways in which this problem can be
solved and hopefully, you will enjoy reading about our advice.

If you want to be
growing African American hair easily, try giving your hair a break. This goes
especially for women. So, this means no harsh hair styling like blow drying,
ironing or curling whatsoever. For certain occasions, you can afford to heat
your hair but do not do it more than twice a month. All these styling
treatments can dry your hair out and result in its breakage. Also, excessive
brushing, tying and combing are also a bad way to treat your hair if you want
it to grow longer. The point is to provide your hair with maximum space and
time to grow as long as possible.

Regular hair trims are
a way to growing African American hair successfully. It is recommended that you
trim your hair a bit every six weeks or so. Unless you trim the ends regularly,
you will have growing split end problems. In order to keep your hair undamaged,
you have to get rid of split ends. In addition, make sure you wash your hair
regularly and afford a deep conditioning treatment every two weeks. When
choosing shampoo and conditioner products, you should go for organic stuff.
Make sure they are sulfate free and that they suit your hair type. Mira herbals
products are recommended brands. Finally, you should keep your scalp well
moisturized as this will keep your hair growing healthy.

You want to make use
of a herbal oil treatment to help grow your mane. The very best you can use is
a herbal oil that has aloe vera, hibiscus, amla and other herbs known in
arjuveda to help promote faster hair growth. A good one is Mira oil. Any good
herbal oil will help grow a longer mane if used at least two to three times a
week. It will also keep your mane well moisturized and allow your tresses to
grow without breaking. Apply the oil and give yourself a scalp massage, scalp
massages will push blood to the scalp and allow faster development of your
tresses

In the end, just be
tender towards your hair. Growing African American hair can turn out to be
surprisingly easy with the right course of action.… Read More

Little do you know
about the herb such as aloe vera. It helps cure a lot of skin diseases and
improves bowel condition. Read this article to find out about the host of
benefits. It has anti inflammatory properties and hence is used as a good cure
for a lot of ailments. Just be patient while you use them as part of your
facial care program.

How does it help bowel condition?

It is good for people
who are suffering from constipation as it has laxative effect. Hence it helps
in digestion too. To bring about a bowel movement aloe gel must be consumed
with water if you can’t drink it directly.

It is good for oily skin and skin
with a lot of pores!

Acts as a good natural
protective layer against the harmful sun! It works better with sun screen
lotion, in fact it doubles the effect of your sun screen lotion. This natural
herb is used before using a sun screen lotion. More over it is just a watery
gel and will not show up on your face even if you come out post application.

It is good for insect
bites too. If you have been bitten by some insect and you have a swollen face
or leg, apply some of this gel and you can see tremendous results.

It is also helpful for
burns and inflammation. It has anti inflammatory properties which subsides
redness and swelling.

Blemishes, break outs
and acne scars have now found a solution to all these. This natural herb is a
well practiced natural remedy from ages. Be it scars or redness it helps you
out.

– It also treats
ulcers. Have it in its purest form, gelly like substance must be had fresh.

– Dry skin condition
needs their face to be moisturized. Gelly like substance will moisturize your
face well. Your challenge is finding the right moisturizer for you and knowing
what to look for. This gel moisturizes and even provides some anti aging
benefits as well. It doesn’t dry out your face like water based moisturizers.
They are good for fine lines, wrinkles, sun spots, old scars etc.… Read More

In the age of
television and fast food, diet and nutrition for children seems to be severely
taken for granted. We are now seeing the effects of fatty foods and a sedentary
lifestyle. It is becoming more and more common to see overweight children or
obese children. What was once unheard of in children is now a reality so many
families live with.

Obesity Is The Biggest Risk Facing
Kids Today.

Obesity or being
overweight is a really serious problem, especially for young children. They
lead to many unnecessary illnesses, some of which were thought to be adult
illnesses only. Heart problems like heart burn or high blood pressure are now
being faced by ten year olds or eleven year olds. Type 2 diabetes, often found
in much older patients is something not unheard of among children below the age
of ten. All because of a bad diet practices and nutrition for children.

Some of these
illnesses will remain with the child for the rest of their lives, even if they
are no longer overweight or obese. This is one of the reasons why proper diet
and nutrition for children is so important. Parents will have to rely on their
child’s body still being young and be able to recover from being overweight,
but it will require a drastic change in lifestyle.

No Shortcut. A Healthy
Lifestyle Is The Only Way To Stop Obesity.

An overweight or obese
child will have to change the type of foods they eat, as well as follow a
strict exercise regimen. Eating more healthy and nutritious foods will be a big
challenge for a child who is used to eating certain foods in large portions.
Also, following an exercise program can be difficult to discipline a child
into. For the sake of the health of the rest of their lives, however, exercise
and a proper diet and nutrition for children is what is needed by those who are
overweight.

One of the best ways
to beat obesity is to prevent it. Beginning a healthy diet and nutrition for
children from the time they are very young is one way to make sure they have a
healthy eating lifestyle. Also, making rules like not being allowed to watch
television and eat at the same time, or not being allowed to play computer
games and eat at the same time will help.

You can do this by
designating specific areas in the house where they are allowed to eat.
Encouraging one hour of outside play can also help a lot. Like building an
immune system to fight off disease, preventing obesity from happening in the
first place can be the only answer to making sure it never happens again.… Read More

Why should you start a
diet diary? The answer is very simple. When you are planning to start any diet
it is very important to make a plan and to know what your goal is. Go and stand
before the mirror and imagine how the new you should look. That is the moment
when you should start your diet diary. Write down how much your current weight
is and the weight you want to achieve.

The first week of your
diet should be facing the truth. Write down everything you eat, drink and the
exercise you do for the whole week. Don’t be modest but be honest to your diet
diary and to yourself! This is the only way you can make your diet work.

Once the week is over,
sit down and take a good look at those pages. There will be more surprises than
you can imagine and finally you will see where those extra calories are coming
from. Recognize and admit to yourself where you went wrong and answer these
questions: Do I eat too much? Do I eat healthy? Do I exercise enough?

Once you answer those
questions, you will know where the extra calories are coming from. Now it is
time to take the next step. Turn to the next page in your diet diary and start
writing a plan.

* Start by making a
weekly food plan. Choose healthy foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
Include fruits, vegetables and fiber in your diet.

* Schedule your daily
exercises. Start with 10 minutes a day and build up slowly to 30 minutes a day.

* If you are uncertain
about what healthy food is and how to go about your exercises, you should
consult a specialist.

* Check your results
on a weekly basis. But keep in mind when you are on a diet and also doing
exercises, you will lose body fat but your muscle will build up. Which means
your body weight is not decreasing as fast as you were hoping. But this is not
a bad thing. Losing body fat and gaining muscle will result in a healthier
body.

* Write down your
progress and adjust if you need to.

* If you are gaining
weight look for causes.

Keep in mind that once
you have reached your goal, don’t go back to your old habits. Keep eating
healthy and keep doing those exercises. That will keep you in shape so you will
never need to go on any diet ever again.… Read More